Limonium ithacense Artelari, 1984

Brullo, Salvatore & Erben, Matthias, 2016, The genus Limonium (Plumbaginaceae) in Greece, Phytotaxa 240 (1), pp. 448-450 : 448-450

33. Limonium ithacense Artelari (1984a: 47 et 1984b: 26) ( Fig. 33 )

Type:― GREECE. Ionian Islands: Ins. Ithaki: in saxosis calcareis maritimis, prope pagum Stavros, Artelari 237 (holotype UPA) .

Description: —Plant perennial, glabrous, forming a sub-shrub 10–25 cm tall, with ascending to erect stems and a robust tap-root. Caudices 1–9 cm long, branched, living leaves in rosettes at apices. Leaves fleshy, rigid, 5–32 mm long and 1.5–7.0 mm broad, narrowly spathulate to narrowly oblanceolate, apex obtuse to rotund, sometimes slightly emarginate, margin more or less revolute, with one central nerve, gradually tapering into the petiole. Stems slender, rugose, 4–20 cm long, slightly flexuous to straight, branching begins near the base. Inflorescence corymbose. Sterile branches few to several, confined to the lower half of the stems, slender, 0.5–3.0 cm long, straight to arched, mostly unbranched. Fertile branches confined to the upper half of the stems, slender, 1–5 cm long, slightly arched to straight, forming branching angles of 35°– 55°, branched. Spikes 5–30 mm long, straight to arched, erect to inserted obliquely upwards. Spikelets slender, 6.0– 6.4 mm long, composed of 1 (–2) flowers, remotely arranged with 2–4 per cm. Outer bract 0.9–1.2 mm long and 1.4–1.7 mm broad, broadly triangular-ovate, acute to obtuse; bract margin narrowly membranous; central part slightly fleshy, acuminate. Middle bract membranous, 1.4–1.9 mm long and 1.4–1.6 mm broad, elliptic, rounded. Inner bract 3.5–4.1 mm long and 2.8–3.2 mm broad, elliptic, rounded to obtuse; bract margin broadly membranous; central part fleshy, 2.6–3.1 mm long and 1.7–2.0 mm broad, oblong, acuminate, forming a narrowly triangular tip, 0.6–0.8 mm long, reaching nearly the upper margin. Calyx 4.7–5.3 mm long, exceeding the inner bract by 2.1–2.3 mm; calyx tube more or less sparsely shortly hairy, with 5 ribs ending above the base of lobes; calyx lobes ca. 0.8 × 1.0 mm, semi-elliptic. Corolla violet.

Chromosome number: —2n = 18 (Artelari 1984a, b).

Distribution: —Occurring on the Ionian Islands of Ithaki and Kefalonia, where it is very rare ( Fig. 89F ).

Habitat: —Calcareous rocky coast.

LIMONIUM (PLUMBAGINACEAE)

Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press • 85 86 • Phytotaxa 240 (1) © 2016 Magnolia Press

BRULLO & ERBEN

Taxonomic remarks: — L. ithacense is similar to L. coronense and L. saracinatum . It differs from the former by having slender and shorter stems, much fewer sterile branches, shorter outer bracts and narrower inner bracts, while from the latter by having a smaller size and leaves as well as by having shorter outer and middle bracts.

Specimens examined: — GREECE. Ionian Islands: Ins. Kephallinia: In ditione pagi Fiscardo, in saxosis calcareis maritimis, 25 August 1976, Artelari 96 & 97 (Herb. Erben); Ion. Insel Kefallinia, Ep. Samis, Erisos, Strandfelsen bei Fiskardon, 2–5 m, 15 July 1977, Damboldt 34/113/77 (B); Cefalonia a Fiscardo, rupi calcaree sul mare, 24 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT); Cephalonia, rupi calcaree costiere presso Fiskardo, 17 July 2011, Brullo & Giacalone s.n. (CAT); Ithaki a Stavros, rupi calcaree sul mare, 23 August 1999, Bartolo, Brullo, Guarino & Signorello s.n. (CAT).

Figures

FIGURE 33. Limonium ithacense Artelari. A) Habit; B) Spikelet; C) Outer bract; D) Middle bract; E) Inner bract; F) Calyx; G) Calyx lobes; H) Leaves. (Habit and leaves drawn from “Cephalonia, Fiskardo, Brullo & Giacalone s.n., CAT”, spikelet details from “R. Artelari 96, Herb. Erben”).

FIGURE 89. (Map 4) Geographical distribution of Limonium arcuatum (A); L. antipaxorum (B); L. cephalonicum (C); L. coronense (D); L. stenotatum (E); L. ithacense (F); L. phitosianum (G); L. parosicum (H); L. palmare (I).